


Partners

by youmeandthehurricane



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-05
Updated: 2016-04-24
Packaged: 2018-05-31 11:20:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6468175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/youmeandthehurricane/pseuds/youmeandthehurricane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An anti-alien cell has emerged as a new threat to Supergirl. Hank Henshaw has to make some tough decisions regarding Maxwell Lord to ensure the DEO gets on top of the cell whilst they continue to puzzle out a way to defeat Non. Alex and Kara are not happy with Hank’s plan.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My first Supergirl (Alex/Max central) mini series. Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Kara Danvers strode purposefully through the underground halls of the DEO’s secret base, heading for the main control room. She wore her Supergirl costume, the red cape billowing behind her as she walked. Ten minutes ago she’d received a text from her sister requesting her presence at her “other job”. _Hank’s got something to tell us,_ the message had said. Kara knew that Alex wouldn’t ask her to leave her post at CatCo unless it was important so she’d made a hurried excuse to Cat Grant that she would most likely regret later and raced out of the building, pulling her civilian clothes off as she went. She had arrived at the DEO base within minutes.

The control room door hissed open and she stepped through, glancing around to find Alex and Hank Henshaw engaged in conversation in the centre of the room. Other agents flitted about, monitoring computer screens and talking into headsets. There was a buzz surrounding the activity that made Kara feel like she’d stepped into a beehive.

‘Hey guys,’ she said, greeting her sister and her boss, ‘I got here as fast as I could. What’s going on?’

‘Ah, Supergirl,’ Hank began, ‘good, you’re here. I need to have a word with you and Alex in private. Come with me.’

He turned and headed for a door on the opposite side of the room. Kara shot a questioning glance at Alex. She shrugged and they followed the Director through the door and into one of the many corridors that connected the base. They turned left at the first intersection and Hank led them to a door about halfway down a dead end hallway. He pressed his palm onto the bioscanner lock that secured the room and there was a satisfying _click_ as the system registered the correct fingerprint combination. The Danvers sisters entered the room and Hank closed the door firmly behind them.

Kara looked around at the small office, a place at the DEO that she’d never ventured before. It was a neat room lit by two wide electric rods on the ceiling that gave off a slightly blue-tinged hue. A huge desk took up most of the space, its surface covered with papers, pens, a tablet computer and something that resembled a paper weight. Alex figured the paper weight was some sort of weapon – maybe a grenade or a smoke bomb – in disguise. One wall was completely covered by a whiteboard that doubled as a viewing screen. Another had a large bookcase that held a number of leather bound books with no titles on their spines, giving nothing away.

Hank sat down in the swivel chair behind the desk and gestured for them to sit in the chairs that stood on the other side. As she took her seat, Alex wondered what this was all about. It must be something serious because even she hadn’t been invited into the Director’s personal office before. She didn’t think Hank even spent that much time in here.

‘Now,’ Hank sighed, ‘neither of you are going to like what I’m about to tell you. Hell, I don’t like it. However, in the circumstances, it’s necessary. As you well know, Maxwell Lord created a substance called Red Kryptonite. According to him, he developed it for use against Non and his followers should they launch an attack on the city. Obviously, it wasn’t used for its intended purpose.’

Kara dropped her head with a scowl. It had been nearly three weeks since she’d been infected by the Red Kryptonite, but she still found herself in tears when the memories haunted her at night. Alex shot Hank a dark look. She certainly wasn’t comfortable remembering the incident either. It wasn’t just Supergirl who had been affected that day.

‘The problem is,’ he continued, ‘we’re not the only ones who know about it.’ He picked up the little tablet computer and tapped the screen. The whiteboard on the wall came to life and numerous screenshots of emails and text messages flashed across it one by one. ‘The DEO picked up some communications traffic over the last 48 hours originating on a forum that discussed the “alien threat” in National City. Messages that contained what we believe to be veiled references to Red Kryptonite were sent between seven different users on the forum. We traced the messages and found that the users are all members of an anti-alien online community called the Anti-Alien Resistance, but unfortunately they seem to have made an unusually complex effort to conceal their identities. I’ve got techs working on cracking their system, but it might take some time and I’m concerned that we might not have time.’

‘Time for what?’ Alex asked slowly.

‘I think that this group, the AAR, are planning to steal the Red Kryptonite to fuel their anti-alien campaign. These guys are serious, Alex. We managed to intercept communications that had invoices for a large order of weapons – guns, flash bangs, that sort of thing. I believe they’re plotting to infiltrate Lord Technologies.’

‘So we send a team to Lord Technologies to intercept them when they get there?’ Alex asked tightly.

‘This is the part you’re not going to like,’ Hank replied, standing up and clasping his hands behind his back. ‘I’ve decided to bring Maxwell Lord and all of his work on Red Kryptonite here to the DEO. That way, it’s all protected and this AAR group won’t find anything when they get to Lord Technologies as long as we’re discreet with the clear out. We’ll send a small tactical team in to subdue them, interrogate them and incarcerate them through the proper channels. You’ve got to remember Alex,’ Hank said firmly, holding up a hand as Alex opened her mouth to interrupt, ‘we don’t technically exist. We’re limited in what we can do when it comes to civilian properties.’

‘Alright,’ Alex huffed, ‘so Maxwell Lord goes straight into a cell again and I’ll head out with the tactical team and shut this operation down.’

‘And I’ll go with you,’ Kara said immediately.

Hank sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. ‘No. Neither of you are going. You’re both going to stay here and train Maxwell Lord.’

The room went silent as Alex and Kara struggled to make sense of Hank’s words.

 _‘What?’_ They both said at the same time, getting to their feet in protest.

‘Hank, you can’t be serious!‘ Alex stammered.

‘He tried to _kill_ me!‘ Kara cried.

‘Ladies!’ Hank shouted, raising his hands to placate them. ‘Enough! I know that this is…difficult. It’s not a decision I’ve made lightly. That son of a bitch sure as hell doesn’t deserve our protection, but if he so much as talks to the wrong person it could put all of us in danger, especially you Supergirl.’

‘What the hell are we training him in?’ Alex hissed, crossing her arms across her chest defiantly.

‘He’s going to be here working with our scientists to perfect the antidote to Red Kryptonite first and foremost, but while we’ve got him here we’re going to tap his brain to try and find a way to defeat Non without hurting you.’ He pointed at Kara who frowned, but returned to her seat. ‘In the meantime, I want him trained in combat just in case the fight comes to us.’

‘You want me to teach him how to fight?’ Alex cried incredulously. ‘You must be joking.’

‘I’m sorry Alex, but that’s an order.’

‘What about me? I’ll teach him how to fight.’ Kara smirked, imagining herself punching Maxwell Lord right in the centre of his smug face.

‘In order to beat Non, we’re going to have to understand more about Kryptonian biology. Our scientists have done some work since you joined, but there’s no way they could ever have synthesised Kryptonite like Lord did. I’m sorry Supergirl, but I need you to help him work on suppressing Non’s powers.’

‘So he can try to kill me again later on?’ Kara burst out angrily. ‘No way!’

‘Do you really think I’d be doing this if I had a choice!’ Hank yelled suddenly, his anger transforming his face. ‘If we leave him where he is we run the risk of his knowledge falling into the hands of this anti-alien cell of whom we know next to nothing about right now! Even on his own, Lord is dangerous. At least if he’s here under our supervision he can’t go off running his mouth or come up with a new way to harm you without our intervention. It’s not ideal, you don’t think I know that? But it’s what we need to do so I need you two to do your job. Can you do that?’

Alex and Kara glared at Hank as he tried to slow his breathing. He hadn’t meant to lash out at them, but he hated the decisions that he was having to make. He didn’t want Maxwell Lord anywhere near Alex or Kara, but this was the safest way. He had to remember that Non and his Kryptonian army were the bigger threat right now.

‘Fine,’ Alex spat eventually, ‘but don’t expect me to go easy on him.’

Hank nodded wearily, glad that the brief was out in the open. He’d been dreading this moment all morning, but now that the ball was rolling he felt a bit better. Alex might hate him for a while and Kara definitely wouldn’t be talking to him anytime soon, but he knew they could both handle themselves just fine. Maxwell Lord would be the one finding life at the DEO difficult, much to his displeasure.


	2. Chapter 2

Alex was still a little disbelieving at what was taking place when, two days later, she waited in the DEO’s control room with Kara for Hank to return from Lord Technologies. The clear out of Maxwell Lord’s research had been undertaken in the middle of the night by a special black ops team, such was the importance of keeping the Anti-Alien Resistance cell in the dark. Hank had gone to collect Maxwell personally.

Voices echoed in the high ceilings as Hank entered the room, flanked by three armed DEO agents in full battle gear. Maxwell Lord was walking in the middle. He was talking, as usual.

‘I have such fond memories of my last stay,’ Max commented loudly. Alex saw Hank roll his eyes as he marched their new guest towards her. ‘Agent Danvers. Pleasure to see you.’

‘You so owe me,’ Alex whispered to Hank. She shook her hair away from her face and drew herself upright, letting Max know that she was unimpressed with the situation.

‘So,’ Max said, holding out his hands, ‘do I get my collectible display case back or have I been upgraded?’

‘You’ve been upgraded,’ Alex replied reluctantly, ‘but there’s still a great big lock on the door so don’t expect any midnight snacks.’

‘What about room service?’

‘Don’t push it.’ Alex ground her teeth in frustration. She saw Kara shake her head in her peripheral vision at Max’s cheeky smile. He knew how to get under Alex’s skin and he was going to take every opportunity to do so during his time at the DEO. Her reactions were just too good not to.

‘I’m going to take him straight to the lab,’ Hank said. ‘We don’t have any time to waste. Alex, I want you in the gym in two hours to run him through basic combat training. In the meantime, I need you and Kara to work with Vasquez on finding the locations of the AAR members.’

He nodded at them and then motioned for the guards to bring Max through to the laboratory, leaving Alex and Kara glaring after them.

‘I can’t believe this is happening,’ Kara muttered.

‘Tell me about it.’ Alex tapped her fingers on her crossed arms, ruminating on the situation, before turning to Kara. ‘Well, we’d better find Vasquez and see what she’s managed to dig up on these psychos.’

‘Winn would love this,’ Kara replied, thinking idly of her friend and his hacking ability that suggested he spent far too much time on the internet, even for an IT programmer. Kara smiled to herself, picturing Winn’s excited face and hearing his voice as he would inevitably exclaim, _'This is so cool!'_ If there was one thing that made her feel better when things seemed bad, it was her friends, especially Winn and James. 

Alex raised an eyebrow at her sister. ‘No,’ she said shortly, ‘it’s too dangerous.’

Kara nodded sadly as they headed over to the bank of computers where Vasquez was typing and muttering into her headset.

‘Any luck on cracking that system?’ Alex asked as she came up behind her.

‘Not yet,’ came the irritated reply, ‘but we’ve managed to stop all outgoing communications from their server. No more weapons orders can go through at least.’

Alex nodded appreciatively. ‘Good,’ she said.

‘We’ve also managed to triangulate when they’re planning to attack Lord Technologies,’ Vasquez continued. ‘They appear to have agreed upon four days from now.’

‘And they have no idea we’re tracking them?’ Kara asked.

‘Doesn’t appear so,’ Vasquez replied.

Alex and Kara did what they could to help for the next hour or so, assisting with filtering through the forums for any clues as to the identities of the members of the AAR. Kara felt her heart sink rapidly as she read through the hate-fuelled posts. These people really hated her and she couldn’t deny that it hurt. Alex could see her sister’s pain and squeezed Kara’s shoulder every so often.

‘We’ll get them,’ she would say with an encouraging smile which Kara would return half-heartedly.

Before long, Max reappeared in the control room with his posse of babysitters, eliciting a groan from Alex as the realisation that she would be spending the next two hours alone with Maxwell Lord hit her.

‘Agent Danvers!’ Max called. ‘Director Henshaw tells me we have a date this afternoon?’

‘Here we go,’ Alex muttered, marching over to grab Max by the elbow and drag him out of the room.

‘Ow,’ Max grumbled, ‘I didn’t know you were so keen to be alone with me Alex.’

‘Shut up Max.’

She dragged him through the corridors, ignoring his attempts at small talk, and into what those at the DEO referred to as the ‘gym’. In reality, it was just a large empty room with a springy floor mat like the ones used in martial arts dojos or wrestling rings. Alex forced Max to get changed into some loose fitting combat blacks. She took enormous pleasure in his discomfort. Maxwell Lord, normally so refined and immaculate in his business shirts and slacks, looked very much out of place in a tank top and pants. His feet remained bare in the absence of combat boots. In his spare time, Max often went for a run to keep himself in good shape, but this was ridiculous.

‘Put your guard up,’ Alex snapped, raising her own fists and crouching into her fighting stance. Max smirked and lifted his hands into position. ‘Keep on your toes and block with your forearms. Got it?’

He didn’t even get a chance to open his mouth. Alex came at him like a hurricane, her fists flying. One clipped him on the side of the head before he had the sense to raise an arm to block her. He was too slow and she took advantage of the opening, jabbing at his exposed stomach. Max doubled over, helpless, as Alex knocked him to the ground with a thud.

‘Again,’ she said sharply.

‘Maybe a bit slower this time,’ Max coughed, hauling himself to his feet.

Alex pursed her lips. ‘Fine,’ she replied. ‘Keep your elbows in.’

The first hour passed slowly for Max as he tried to defend himself. Alex didn’t come at him quite so ferociously again and reluctantly gave him tips, allowing him to actually learn how to block and land a punch, but she still put him on the mat regularly.

‘You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?’ He asked after a particularly heavy take down. Sweat gleamed on his brow as he got his breath back, peeling his face from the floor.

‘Thoroughly. Again.’

Alex had beaten Max up once or twice before in their encounters, but this was slightly more satisfying. She was almost annoyed that he wasn’t as bad as she’d expected him to be. Despite the number of times he’d crashed to the floor, Max was blocking more and more punches and, later on, kicks. He’d even managed to land two punches and a kick on Alex. They sparred for the full two hours, barely saying anything to one another. Max was exhausted by the time they finished and he welcomed the cold shower that awaited him, his aching muscles finally getting a chance to relax.

* * * *

Alex, who had barely broken a sweat in her training with Max, sauntered back into the control room to discuss the tactical team plan with Hank. She found him hunched over the holographic table that showed the building plan of Lord Technologies.

‘How’s it coming?’ Alex asked as Hank noticed her walk over.

‘We should be able to cover the main entrances and we can monitor the rest of the building by hacking into its video feed. The team will be fully geared up, but…to be honest with you Alex, I’m not entirely sure we’re just dealing with a bunch of angry kids with nothing better to do.’ Hank scowled.

‘Our men are the best,’ Alex reassured him. ‘We’ll shut them down.’

Hank nodded, but he couldn’t shake the odd feeling that kept him awake for the next three days. Three days of restless waiting, cooped up like chickens in a pen.


	3. Chapter 3

‘So what exactly do you want to know?’ Kara eyed Max suspiciously across the laboratory bench the day after Max’s gruelling combat session with Alex. Hank had insisted that she spend some time with Max to work on a plan to defeat Non whilst the DEO dealt with the Anti-Alien Resistance. She was extremely loath to reveal anything about herself and her kind to Maxwell Lord. He wasn’t exactly trustworthy.

‘Well,’ Max replied, ‘aside from using Kryptonite, there doesn’t seem to be a way to weaken your kind. If I can understand more about your biology, maybe I can come up with something extremely clever.’

‘Right,’ Kara frowned at Max’s innocent smile. 

‘So,’ Max splayed his hands on the table and leaned forward, ‘let me get this straight. Your body absorbs energy from the sun which enhances your cells and gives you your powers. Yes?’ Kara nodded. ‘And the radiation from the green Kryptonite mutates your cells. It’s toxic to you.’

‘It turns the energy that we’ve already stored from the sun toxic. It effectively kills us from the inside.’

‘Did they use Kryptonite on your planet to punish criminals?’

‘We…we didn’t have powers on Krypton,’ Kara said reluctantly.

Max raised an eyebrow. ‘Now that is interesting.’

He said nothing more, waiting for her to continue. She sighed with frustration. What was Hank thinking?

‘The sun on Krypton was red, not yellow. The energy was different. Only the yellow sun affects us.’

Max tapped his fingers thoughtfully as Kara averted her eyes. She was sure that this was a mistake. Max’s mind whirled as ideas began to form, bringing a smile to his lips. Sometimes he surprised himself with just how smart he actually was.

‘I’m going to need to take a swab sample from your cheek.’ He said matter-of-factly.

‘What?’ Kara asked sharply. ‘What do you need that for?’

‘Testing. I’d take a biopsy, but, you know, impenetrable skin…’ He mimed pushing a needle into the crook of his arm.

‘Testing for what?’

‘Now Supergirl, if I gave away all my good ideas the moment I thought of them I wouldn’t be running a billion dollar company, would I?’ He tilted his head, eyes glinting cheerfully.

Kara pressed her lips together angrily. ‘Fine,’ she hissed. To her disgust, he put on a pair of gloves and picked up a cotton swab as he walked around to her side of the bench. She opened her mouth, feeling equally embarrassed and furious as he gripped her chin between his thumb and forefinger, and swiped the inside of her cheek, taking away a small sample of her DNA. _I am brushing my teeth the moment I get out of here,_ she thought to herself.

He returned to his side of the bench and began preparing the sample. Kara watched him grumpily. Maxwell Lord was the last person on Earth that she wanted to have access to her DNA. It was just…wrong. _Suicide even,_ she thought grimly. Max might have helped return Supergirl to her normal self after the Red Kryptonite incident, but given that he was the one who had invented it in the first place, it didn’t really give him a Get Out of Jail Free card.

The unsociable silence was broken by a knock at the door. Kara turned to look as Hank poked his head in.

‘Supergirl,’ Hank puffed, as if he’d been running, ‘you might want to come and see this.’

Kara frowned and left Max to his work, heading out the door after Hank. She followed him back into the control room where everyone was standing stock still, all eyes turned to one of the many screens.

‘It started about 30 seconds ago,’ Hank whispered, stopping beside Alex.

Kara opened her mouth in horror as she registered what she was seeing. Every screen showed the same thing – a man in a balaclava talking to the camera. The wall behind him was grey and featureless, providing no clues to his location.

‘-if you think that aliens are heroes, you need to take a look around you,’ the man was saying with a sneer. ‘Ever since they arrived on our planet, there’s been chaos and destruction. They have ended _hundreds_ of lives in the short time that they’ve been in National City and yet this place freaking worships Supergirl! Wake up National City! These aliens, the ones that are threatening our lives, came to Earth _with Supergirl._ She _brought_ them here. And sometimes even she forgets she’s supposed to be the good guy.’

The man paused, as if for effect, and Kara placed a hand over her mouth. This was not good. His voice was deep and gravelly, aggressive. The last sentence was directed at Kara, intended to get her riled and embarrassed after the Red Kryptonite incident.

‘Well we’ve had enough,’ the broadcast continued, ‘We’re taking back the city. Humans need to stand together because this is our planet and we don’t want any more aliens here. I hope you’re listening Supergirl because you had better run and hide.’

The message was ominous and the speaker jabbed a finger at the camera as he finished his spiel. Then the video cut out and the screens returned to normal. The control room was blanketed in silence as they looked at each other anxiously. The threat was out in the open now and, if Hank guessed correctly, the entire city knew about it.

‘They’re trying to gain followers,’ he murmured uneasily.

Kara bit her lip. She’d tried so hard to earn back the peoples’ trust after the Red Kryptonite incident and she thought that she was finally getting there. Now, the AAR was planting hateful messages into peoples’ heads with a high possibility of turning others against her.

Alex saw Kara’s distress and pulled her into a hug. Kara returned it gratefully, clinging to her sister who had always been her backbone when she’d needed it. She knew that even if the world wanted nothing to do with her, Alex would always love and protect her, no matter what.

‘I love you,’ Kara whispered in Alex’s ear.

‘I love you too,’ Alex whispered back. ‘They won’t win Kara, I promise.’

The sound of buzzing interrupted their embrace and Kara pulled away, wiping a tear from her face hurriedly. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and groaned.

‘I have to get back to work. Winn says Cat’s going crazy trying to be the first to report about the “Supergirl hate video”. ‘

Hank nodded, patting her arm understandingly. ‘Go. We’ll keep on track with our plans here.’

Kara hugged Alex one last time before hurrying off. Alex knew it was going to be tough for her back at CatCo. James and Winn would help her get through it, but Cat was…well, Cat. Insensitive as a brick sometimes, especially when it came to Supergirl. Cat Grant had very strong opinions about Supergirl and Kara was thankful that Cat was a supporter. Life could have been very difficult if Cat had’ve taken another stance on the Girl of Steel’s presence in National City. Even so, her boss often spurted harsh truths that Kara sometimes didn’t want to hear and that was the last thing she needed right now. Cat would want to know exactly who this ‘hater’ was and Kara would have to pretend to know nothing about it, as usual. She sighed heavily as she jumped into the air, punching her way through the sky and leaving the DEO base far behind her.

* * * *

The next two days passed quickly for the residents at the DEO. Hank was constantly busy prepping the tactical team, going over the plan repeatedly to make sure that he’d covered all the possible dangers. He’d barely slept and the strain showed on his face, the lines deeper and the bags under his eyes darker. Vasquez copped a spray from Hank once when she updated him on the search for the AAR members, something that he apologised for not long after. He was a little bit ashamed of himself for having lost his temper at his own team.

Alex assisted with the preparation in her own way, running through scenarios with the tactical team and overseeing their combat and weapons practise. She was antsy because she wasn’t going with them. The thought of being stuck here at the DEO while her team went on a mission without her made her feel slightly helpless and she hated it. So she threw herself into whatever would benefit the operation the most, whether it was going over the plan with one of the agents again or inspecting the team’s battle gear. She kept in constant contact with Kara who was updating her on the situation as it unfolded in the general public. National City had responded negatively to the hate video, generally condemning the AAR which was a relief. Winn and James had looked after Kara, steering Cat in favourable directions as much as they could. Alex just wanted the ambush to hurry up and arrive. In the meantime, she still had her sparring sessions with Max to look forward to.

Max felt strangely at peace. He was making great headway with his research, thoroughly enjoying the challenges that he’d set himself. He spent most of the day alone in the lab which was what he was used to, but at night he lay in bed unable to sleep. He mulled over his decision to help the DEO again. Only two months ago, he’d tried to kill Supergirl with his abominable creation, Bizarro, yet now he found himself slightly regretting his choices. Synthesising the Red Kryptonite had genuinely been an attempt to subdue Non and his army, not another attack on Supergirl, which is why he’d shown up uninvited to help rectify the situation. Maybe the time he’d spent locked up in the DEO, where he’d discovered that Supergirl was actually a person, Kara Danvers, Alex’s sister, had shaken up his views. Maybe it was the excitement and challenges that came with working on the same side as the DEO, as Alex, as opposed to against them that he liked. Either way, he was no longer averse to lending Supergirl a hand, especially by strutting his stuff in his element.

Then there was Alex. His bruises made themselves painfully obvious every time he moved and he woke up stiff and sore from their sparring sessions. They’d already had four lots of training in the three days he’d been here and they were to have another one later that afternoon. As always, he enjoyed the moments he spent with Alex. She hated him, but most people did so he was used to it. He couldn’t help thinking about how he hoped she would notice that he really was trying to help her beat the bad guys, just like he’d designed the antidote to Red Kryptonite to save Kara. Something had changed inside him and he knew that it was Alex that kept him awake at night.

* * * *

‘You’re too slow on your left side,’ Alex pointed out, bouncing lightly on her toes. ‘If you’re going to bring your arm up, you need to move your feet too.’

Max nodded, preparing himself for the next onslaught. He was getting better, but the fights still left him tired. He rubbed his side absently, massaging the spot where Alex had kicked him earlier and left it throbbing with pain. She wasn’t playing around.

‘Ready?’ Alex asked.

‘Let’s go Agent Danvers,’ he replied with a grin.

Alex launched herself at him, lashing out with her right arm. Max blocked her and shuffled backwards, kicking out his foot. He missed and Alex swiped his jaw with an open palm – she’d agreed to stop punching him in the face, much to Max’s relief. He stepped sideways as her leg flicked out in the direction of his stomach, rushing in close to land a punch on her arm. They traded blows, moving backwards and forwards together as if they were a part of an elaborate dance. Alex relished the feeling of combat, of letting her mind settle into that familiar adrenaline rush that kept her senses alert. Max thought he understood, admiring the way she moved with such fluidity, linking her moves as if they were choreographed. She was a force to be reckoned with, a beautiful and dangerous weapon. She narrowly missed his head as he ducked a roundhouse kick. He countered with a feint and a left jab which she dodged, swinging a leg out to catch him around the ankles. Max jumped at the last second, avoiding having his legs taken out from under him.

Alex was impressed. He was moving much better than their first session two days ago. Obviously she was a great teacher. She stepped lightly, crossing her feet, and spun into a kick aimed at his hip. To her amazement, he caught her foot before it made contact and pulled her leg towards him, knocking her off balance. She fell to the floor, landing on her back and knocking the wind out of her. Max followed her down, sitting on her midsection with his knees either side of her hips and his hands pinning her wrists to the floor. He was panting from the effort.

Alex was too surprised to speak. Maxwell Lord had just taken her down and now his face was inches from her own, a triumphant grin spreading slowly across it. They stared at each other, not quite sure what to do next. This wasn’t a scenario that had been played out before and it certainly wasn’t something that Alex had been expecting.

‘How was that Agent Danvers?’ Max said eventually, his voice low.

‘Unorthodox,’ she managed, caught off guard by his tone.

He laughed. ‘I’ll take it.’

Alex suddenly became very aware of the pressure of his body on her stomach and struggled to sit up. Max didn’t loosen his grip.

‘Let me up,’ she said warningly.

Max contemplated her for a moment and then stood up, holding out a hand. She eyed it suspiciously, but relented and allowed him to haul her to her feet, pulling her up so that they were almost nose to nose. He gripped her hand a second longer than she thought was necessary and then stepped away, never taking his eyes off of her.

‘It’s alright,’ Max said with a playful smile, ‘I won’t tell anyone I beat you.’

He winked at her and left the gym, leaving Alex alone in stunned silence.


	4. Chapter 4

The day of the ambush had arrived. Two hours ago, Alex had stood next to Hank as he debriefed the tactical team before they left for Lord Technologies. She listened as he outlined the plan for what must have been the millionth time.

‘Stay low and do not engage until I give the signal,’ Hank instructed. ‘We need to be sure that all of the targets enter the building. They will have weapons so exercise extreme caution. We don’t know exactly what we’re dealing with here.’

 _When do we ever know what we’re dealing with?_ Alex thought with exasperation. The team was comprised of six agents. They were decked out in full combat gear: close fitting combat blacks with Kevlar patches on the elbows and knees, bullet proof vests and gloves, reinforced helmets with adjustable face guards, steel capped boots, and an array of weapons including guns, flash bangs, batons and grenades. They were a veritable, albeit small, army.

The team had left for Lord Technologies at three o’clock in the morning in a uniform black DEO van and were to be dropped off quickly around the side of the building. Max had given Hank the emergency security codes so that they could gain access without setting off any alarms, ensuring that the building would respond authentically to the AAR’s break in.

Now, all they had to do was wait. Alex, Hank and Max stood silently in front of the bank of computers in the DEO’s control room. They were plugged into the video feed at Lord Technologies and the room was full of agents monitoring each screen carefully, alert for signs that the AAR had arrived. Hank maintained contact with the team at all times through his ear piece.

Max had insisted that he be present for the operation. He was adamant that he would be able to provide helpful information about the building, since no one knew it better than him. Hank couldn’t deny Max’s logic and so he had got his wish.

Alex glanced curiously at Max. His face was serious, brows drawn slightly together in a frown. She hadn’t forgotten the way he had acted in the gym yesterday and an uneasy feeling swirled in her stomach when she thought about it. There was no way she trusted him, but right now she had to believe that he was on her side; that he was genuinely working on a way to combat Non and, more pressingly, that he was going to help this operation succeed.

‘Price, what’s your status?’ Hank barked into his ear piece.

‘In position, sir,’ came the quiet reply, ‘No movement yet.’

‘Keep alert.’ Hank ran a hand over his head. Alex knew he felt the same way that she did – helpless. They weren’t used to being the ones left behind in the base. Field work, putting themselves in the line of fire, was in their nature.

Half an hour passed. The tension in the room was palpable and Hank had started pacing. Alex had her arms crossed over her chest, eyes glued to the video feed. Max watched her with interest.

‘Sir,’ Price’s voice whispered in Hank’s ear causing him to freeze mid-stride, ‘we have auditory confirmation. Targets have arrived.’

Hank hurried back to his place next to Alex, searching the monitors frantically for movement.

‘There,’ Alex said, pointing to the screen that showed the side entrance to Lord Technologies. Five figures dressed in black huddled around the door. The grainy, black and white video feed made it hard to see what they were doing, but it looked like they were attaching a device to the door handle. They backed away, covered their ears and then returned to inspect their handiwork. Without sound or context, it appeared that nothing had happened, but when the first man twisted the handle, it swung open effortlessly.

‘That’s clever,’ Max murmured to himself.

‘What is?’ Hank asked sharply.

‘EMP tech. They bypassed my security by hacking it in between the electronic signals their device gives out. It confuses my system, sort of like how the valves in your heart open and close between each beat. Clever.’ He smiled grimly, unsure if he was impressed with their ingenuity or annoyed that he hadn’t thought of it himself.

The AAR group streamed through the door, crouching and creeping up the hallway. The DEO agents were lying in wait in the laboratory at the end of the corridor, ready to attack. The order was to capture, not kill, but if the targets became hostile, the DEO agents had permission to incapacitate.

The seconds ticked by as if in slow motion as the AAR entered the lab. Alex strained her eyes trying to make out the DEO agents in the shadows. The security camera footage was dark; no lights were on in the building at this time of the morning. The only illumination came from the soft glow of the back-up generator lights that remained on at all times in case of an emergency.

The five men entered slowly, glancing around warily. They didn’t bother to scout the room, acting exactly as Hank had thought they would. These men weren’t military. They were just a bunch of extremists who were very good at using technology.

Once they were in the centre of the room, Hank gave the signal and the three DEO agents that were hiding revealed themselves, training their guns on the targets.

‘Hands up where I can see them!’ Hank heard Price yell in his ear. Then all hell broke loose.

Two of the men rushed to engage, pulling guns from their belts. Hank heard the thud of fists and a clatter as a gun was knocked from the assailant’s hands. Price fired a warning shot and then another one that found its mark, but the scream was drowned out by a small explosion that lit up the video footage like a Christmas tree. Alex watched as her men stumbled, blinded by the flash bang, and the AAR scattered. Three of them ran through the doorway on the left, down towards the central atrium where the remaining DEO agents were waiting. The other two headed down the corridor on the right, penetrating deeper into Max’s labyrinth of laboratories, throwing another stun grenade behind them as they went.

‘Get after them!’ Hank yelled. The lack of sound unnerved Alex as she watched the chase unfold on the monitors. Gunfire, boots thudding on the ground, the smack of a fist onto a body – they were all noises that she was familiar with. They were part and parcel of the adrenaline rush that assaulted her whenever she was on a dangerous mission. They kept you alive.

The tactical team split up, poised to fire at all times as they crept down separate corridors. Max fed Hank directions with the intention of backing the targets into a dead end.

‘Do your men have night vision?’ Max asked suddenly.

‘Thermals in their helmets, yeah,’ Hank replied shortly. ‘Why?’

‘I’ve got an idea.’ Max stepped up to the computer bank, forcing Vasquez aside.

‘Sir,’ she protested, but Hank raised a hand.

‘Let him go.’

Max tapped away at the keyboard, bringing up lines of text on the screen that was linked into the security system. He typed furiously for two full minutes before stepping back with a clap of his hands.

‘That should do it,’ he said with a satisfied smile.

‘What did you do?’ Alex asked. She was having trouble keeping still. All her instincts said that she should be in that building, chasing down their targets.

‘Overrode the emergency lighting system. Now only your men will be able to see.’

‘That’s…that’s brilliant,’

Max shrugged. ‘I have my moments.’

The video feed was completely useless now, the screens showing nothing but darkness, increasing Alex’s agitation. Hank was hollering instructions through his ear piece, demanding updates from Price as the agent hurried through Lord Technologies in pursuit of one of the AAR members. Hank heard gunshots and a cry of pain followed by scuffling.

‘Got one!’ Price shouted.

‘Cuff him and get to the others,’ Hank ordered.

Max stared absently at Alex as they waited anxiously in the silence. Had he done enough? Had he given the DEO the best possible chance of winning this fight? Maybe he was feeling protective because it was his building that was being infiltrated, but he was taking this operation seriously. Before any more bright ideas could make themselves known, Price was howling in Hank’s ear again.

‘Sir, Clarke and Peters have two targets under control. Fletch and Harvey are down, repeat Fletch and Harvey are down.’

‘Dammit,’ Hank growled. ‘Get them out of there Price. Where’s Lloyd?’

‘Searching the building, sir. Two of the targets got away.’

Hank looked away, rubbing his chin. He was angry that they’d been beaten so easily, especially now that two of his best agents were wounded. These guys might not have been military, but they knew how to fight and that was disconcerting.

‘Max, can you get those lights back on?’ Hank rounded on Max who nodded and immediately stepped up to the plate. The lights in Lord Technologies flared after a minute of typing, allowing Alex to see what was happening again. It wasn’t pretty.

Agents Fletch and Harvey were lying on the ground, dark pools of blood seeping across the floor close to their bodies. Alex could see dark burn marks where an explosion of some kind had been set off near a wall. One of them must have thrown a grenade. The three captured AAR thieves were on their knees, their hands cuffed tightly behind their backs, under the guard of Clarke and Peters. One of them was bleeding heavily where Price had shot him in the thigh in the initial assault. Price was stalking the room, on the lookout for any sign that the two who got away were injured.

It had all happened so fast to Alex; a blur of dimly lit hand to hand fights, the occasional flash as a bullet spat out of the barrel of a gun, the blinding light of the stun grenades, and then darkness, concealing the violence that was taking place.

Lloyd suddenly appeared in a doorway. He was limping. ‘Status report,’ Hank said at once.

‘No luck, sir,’ Lloyd huffed, pain evident in his voice. ‘Broken windows in one of the labs back there. They’re gone.’

‘Dammit!’ Hank gritted his teeth, breathing heavily through his nose. This had not gone according to plan at all.

* * * *

The atmosphere was grim when the tactical team returned with their cargo. The wounded agents were whisked to the med-bay for treatment while Hank oversaw the imprisonment of the three AAR members. They were to be locked up in separate containment cells and interrogated individually. Alex would have the pleasure of attempting to get one of them to talk.

Max had been instructed to take over the search for the AAR’s hide out. Hank had been reluctant to allow him unrestricted access to their system, but desperate times called for desperate measures. He seated himself at the computer bank and typed determinedly. There was no way was he going to be beaten by some amateur in a balaclava.

* * * *

‘What did you want the Red Kryptonite for?’ Alex growled as she paced the cell. The prisoner was tied to a chair in the centre of the room. He was burly and bald, with a scruffy black beard and the letter J tattooed in red ink on the side of his neck. He had identified himself as Jack, but Alex knew that was just a cover designed to irritate her.

‘The hell do you think?’ Jack spat.

‘Where is the rest of your organisation hiding?’

‘Where you won’t find them.’

Alex stepped forward and clocked him across the jaw. Blood trickled down his lip, staining his bottom teeth. He laughed, throwing his head back. It was a gravelly sound that alerted Alex to the fact that he had been the man in the video broadcast three days ago.

‘Hit me all you like girly, it doesn’t matter,’ he cackled. ‘Just because we failed this time doesn’t mean it’s over. Our plan will still go ahead and you can’t do nothin’ about it. How’s your little alien friend like Kryptonite?’

Alex clenched her mouth shut, fists balled at her sides. She held herself back from throwing another punch at his smug face. The more he talked and boasted, the more she might be able to glean from him.

‘Pretty little rocks, ain’t they?’ Jack continued. ‘Well you’re going to be seeing a whole lot more of them, you can bet on that.’

He said no more after that. Alex spat out questions, trying to lure him into gloating some more. She kicked him in the kneecaps, even thought about breaking his nose, but he clamped his jaw shut and would reveal no more. Frustrated, she left the cell and returned to the control room, hoping that Hank was faring better.

Max’s voice broke through her thoughts as she entered the room. She looked up and saw him hurrying towards her.

‘What is it?’ She asked, slightly startled when he gripped her wrist.

‘I’ve found them,’ he replied.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just want to say a quick thank you to everyone who's left lovely comments on my stories. They really put a smile on my face, so thank you very much! ^_^

Alex and Hank gathered around the computer bank where Max had seated himself after announcing the good news with much fanfare in regards to how easily he’d cracked the AAR’s system and how he couldn’t believe the DEO hadn’t done it already.

‘Once I got through their firewall, it was easy enough to track the signal from their ISP. Guess they didn’t think anyone could get through it, but they didn’t count on me.’ Max said with a triumphant grin.

‘So where are they?’ Hank asked impatiently.

‘Some shop in downtown National City. Not a very active district, most of the places there have been shut up for years. The perfect hideout for a bunch of keyboard warriors with big boy toys.’

‘I can’t believe I’m saying this, but good work Max.’ Alex uncrossed her arms and turned to Hank. ‘We’d better get the team ready. This time, I’m going with them.’

‘Agreed,’ Hank nodded. ‘I’ll need both you and Supergirl with me on this.’

They strode off in different directions leaving Max sitting by himself. Vasquez came over to take back her seat at the command centre, something Max noticed she did with a little bit of spite. He laughed inwardly. _Jealous are we?_ He thought.

‘You might want to give it a thermal scan,’ he mentioned helpfully, sauntering away. Vasquez glared after him.

* * * *

The lab had become like a home to Max during his stay at the DEO. He was now so familiar with it that he didn’t have to think when it came to finding bits of equipment for his experiments. Science always made him feel comfortable. It was something he understood, something that didn’t question him. Instead, he was the one that got to ask the questions. He got to push the boundaries of what could be done, maybe even what shouldn’t be done. His hands worked in tandem with his brain, engulfing him in a pocket of reality that seemed separate to everything else that was going on. In here, he didn’t have to worry about the dangers that were currently threatening the people he was working with. In here, he wasn’t being scrutinised by every person in the base or wrestling with his thoughts about Alex. Here he was just Maxwell Lord, scientist. Billionaire, handsome, charming and incredibly intelligent scientist, but that was all extraneous. He might have made some questionable choices in his life, but if there was one thing that he knew with all certainty, it was that science would help him save the world.

‘Hey.’ Alex’s voice broke through his mental blockade, causing him to look up with a startled expression.

‘Agent Danvers,’ he said, releasing the microscope in his hands, ‘what can I do for you?’

‘Am I interrupting?’ She asked.

‘Little bit, yeah,’ he replied playfully, continuing hurriedly when she turned to go, ‘but I’ll let you off just this once.’

Alex rested her hands on her hips in that I’m-unimpressed-but-I’ll-listen-for-now way that Max noticed she used a lot with him.

‘Hank wants to know whether you’ve come up with anything that will work on Non. You’ve been locked away in here for days so you’d better have something.’

‘Brilliance doesn’t happen overnight Agent Danvers, but it does happen. I do, in fact, have something that I think will work, but it’s going to take a little bit longer to perfect.’ Max raised a finger for emphasis, strolling around the bench to stand beside Alex.

‘What is it?’ She asked, raising an eyebrow.

‘Kryptonite,’ he said shortly.

It took a second for his answer to register in Alex’s brain, but when it did she nearly hit him.

‘Are you serious?’ Alex exclaimed. ‘Did you learn nothing from what you did with the Red Kryptonite? You still don’t care if you hurt Supergirl do you? I can’t believe Hank trusted you. You don’t care who you hurt as long you get to show off.’

She turned to storm off, but Max grabbed her wrist firmly, preventing her from leaving.

‘Actually Agent Danvers, I do care if I hurt Supergirl. That’s why I’m still perfecting it. That’s why I’ve invented something else, something that will _protect_ Supergirl.’ Alex looked back in spite of herself. ‘You’re not the only one who wants to protect people you know.’

‘You do a damn good job of hiding it,’ Alex muttered, but she didn’t try to leave again when he let go of her arm.

‘I do what has to be done,’ he said simply.

‘No, you do what you think is right even if it means hurting people.’

‘I don’t see anyone else coming up with ideas or, by the time they do, people have already been hurt.’

Alex glared at him. There was some truth to what he said, but she couldn’t bring herself to even contemplate his philosophy. She’d been brought up by two of the kindest people in the world who had taken on an alien foster child and raised her as one of their own. She’d been taught kindness, selflessness and bravery by her parents. She’d lost a father and protected her sister and now she was protecting the whole of National City. There was no way that Alex could go along with a plan that would involve sacrificing a small number for the majority. There was always another way.

‘We want the same thing Alex,’ Max continued.

‘Maybe,’ she sighed, ‘but we don’t go about it the same way and we never will.’

Max pursed his lips and looked away. _Maybe we won’t,_ he thought, _but I’m still here aren’t I?_

‘Do you want to have a look at what I’ve got or not?’ He asked. He’d nurse the hopes that had been struggling to the forefront of his mind later. Only ten minutes ago he’d been Maxwell Lord, scientist. Man. Human being. In front of Alex, he had to be that handsome, charming, bulletproof, egotistic billionaire that she expected him to be. She wouldn’t believe he was anything else. He needed to let his work do the talking.

‘Sure.’ Alex waved a hand in surrender. Hank had sent her in here to find out what he was working on after all.

Max nodded and led her over to another bench. A large machine of some sort, its function unapparent, rested on its surface. A Petri dish full of small lumps of Kryptonite sat innocently next to it. Alex narrowed her eyes at the extraterrestrial element. If it wasn’t so deadly to the ones she loved, she might have thought it pretty. As it stood, she wanted it as far away from Kara as possible.

‘Now,’ Max began importantly, ‘Kryptonite weakens Kryptonians because it affects the solar energy that they’ve stored in their cells. My Red Kryptonite affected Supergirl the way it did because it was a different strain of Kryptonite, a different type of radiation. So, in regards to my original aim of creating a weapon to use against Non, I thought I could invent another different strain of Kryptonite by testing varying radiation effects on Supergirl’s cells.’ Alex opened her mouth to protest, but Max quickly continued, raising a placating hand. ‘I took a sample of her DNA, with her, albeit grudging, permission I might add. I’m not using her as a guinea pig.’ Alex pressed her lips together in a hard line and let him go on. ‘That’s the bit I haven’t perfected yet. What I have perfected is a way to protect Supergirl from ordinary Kryptonite.’

Max smiled. Alex knew he was impressed with himself and she wanted to roll her eyes at his smugness, but she was intrigued despite her better judgement. What Max had done so far was nothing less than extraordinary even if she didn’t approve. If he was right and he could protect Supergirl and hurt Non simultaneously, he might just allow them to win this war and that was something that Alex couldn’t ignore.

‘See this machine?’ Max asked, patting the equipment gently. ‘This cooks up a cocktail of chemicals. It creates an acidic solution that has some very interesting effects on the Kryptonite. Watch.’

Max reached over to the shelf next to the bench and took two pairs of protective glasses from their rack, handing one pair to Alex and putting on his own. He found a pair of gloves and pulled them on. Alex could see the expertise with which he handled the equipment as he tipped the Kryptonite into another dish that had tiny holes in the bottom like a sieve. He turned to where a funnel was being held into place over a sealable bag with a radioactive symbol on it by a clamp and placed the dish on top of the funnel. Alex’s interest began to spike. Next he fiddled with the machine, positioning a small beaker under a nozzle. He pressed a few buttons and a pale yellow liquid trickled out, filling the beaker to the halfway marker.

‘Ready?’ He asked with an excited grin, picking up the beaker carefully. Alex nodded, amusement at his joy tucked somewhere in the back of her mind. Slowly, precisely, he poured the liquid evenly over the Kryptonite. It hissed and steamed as the solution splashed and trickled over the sparkling green rocks, leaving shimmering trails as it dripped through the holes into the funnel and then into the waste bag.

Alex watched, dumbfounded, as the Kryptonite began to fade. The once emerald green was turning pale, a sickly green. The loss of colour continued and Alex held her breath as it disappeared altogether, leaving a pile of colourless, clear rocks that could have been mistaken for oddly shaped lumps of glass.

She looked up at Max who was watching her intently. ‘What did you do?’ She breathed.

‘Drained it of the radiation. They’re just harmless rocks now.’ He smiled.

‘Max, that’s…that’s…’ Alex couldn’t finish the sentence. She opened her mouth once, twice, in an effort to express her amazement, but nothing came out.

‘Genius,’ Max finished for her. Alex laughed. He looked at her seriously and said, ‘Still think I’m doing the wrong thing?’

She looked away, trying to escape his gaze. Her mind flashed unbidden to when he’d hauled her back up off the gym floor, leaving only inches between their faces. She shook her head, annoyed with herself.

‘I’ll let you know.’ Max allowed himself a small smile as Alex searched his eyes for a hint of dishonesty and then sauntered out of the lab when she found none. Maybe there were other ways. Sometimes.


	6. Chapter 6

Hank faced his team with a grim determination, hands on his hips. Agents Danvers, Price and Adams looked back at him with respect and loyalty, knowing full well the dangers they faced. It was times like this when he fully appreciated the bravery of the men and women of the DEO. They would follow him into battle without question and he would do everything he could to keep them from harm. No one knew this more than Alex Danvers and there was no one else that he would rather have by his side. She was his best agent, always had been, from the day she walked in as a lost and disgruntled scientist-turned-drunk. Even now, as he organised the team before their departure, she gave him a reassuring nod.

Supergirl stood beside her sister, a similarly fierce expression on her face. Kara might not have the discipline and tactical nous that Alex had, but her undying sense of good and the unbreakable bond she had with the people she loved more than made up for it.

The team was just about ready to leave when Max came bursting into the command centre.

‘Wait!’ Max yelled from the other side of the room, causing everyone to turn and stare as he strode up to them. Alex noticed he had something in his hands. ‘I’m coming with you.’

Hank shook his head impatiently. They didn’t have time for Max’s nonsense. ‘I don’t think so.’

‘Unless you want Supergirl to get KO’d, you’d better listen to me.’

Hank and Alex shared a look. Kara raised her eyebrows sceptically. Eventually Alex gave a resigned nod and Hank motioned for Max to continue with a sigh.

‘I suggested doing a thermal scan on the building they’re hiding out in and it’s just as well I did. There’s a huge radiation spike in that area. I’d bet anything that they’re storing a whole heap of Kryptonite in that place, just waiting for Supergirl to come along.’ He paused, letting the information sink in.

Hank looked at the floor. If Max was right then he would be leading Supergirl into one of the most dangerous situations for her imaginable.

‘Where the hell would they even get Kryptonite? And what exactly do you think you can do if we take you with us?’ Hank asked.

‘I can neutralise the Kryptonite.’ Max held up what he had been keeping out of sight. It looked like an oversized water pistol. The casing was made of glass surrounded by a protective layer of hard plastic. It had two stocks; a generic one at the back with a trigger just forward of it and a smaller one at the front just behind the barrel. The back half of the gun was a detachable container filled with liquid which is what had made Kara think it was a water pistol in the first place.

‘What the hell are you talking about?’ Hank snapped.

‘Alex,’ Max pleaded, ‘tell him.’

‘It works,’ Alex said quietly, much to Hank and Kara’s astonishment. She continued before they had a chance to pelt her with questions. ‘Look we don’t have time to explain right now. It works, that’s all we need to know. Give it here Max. Just show me how to use it.’

‘You’ll have one less pair of hands to beat these guys up with if you’re on Kryptonite duty,’ Max replied. ‘What was the point in beating me up repeatedly over the last week if you’re not going to let me help anyway? I need you to trust me Alex.’

Max looked her right in the eyes as he said it and she couldn’t look away. It was as if he was pleading with her. She could feel the others’ eyes on her too, waiting for her to make a decision. On the one hand, Max was right about freeing her up to engage the AAR in combat, but on the other hand, he wasn’t exactly an expert in field missions. She would have to watch his back the whole time. She gritted her teeth, hurriedly thinking through the pros and cons of taking him along with them. If he didn’t come, they would be two down at the beginning of the fight because Kara wouldn’t be able to join them until Alex had neutralised the Kryptonite. She hated it when Max was right.

‘He comes with us,’ she muttered eventually. ‘Get him suited up.’

‘I hope you know what you’re doing Alex,’ Hank murmured to her before going to get Max battle ready.

‘So do I,’ Alex said to herself, glancing worriedly at Kara. She hoped her sister would understand that this decision was about protecting her.

* * * *

None of them spoke as they sat in the back of the van on the way to the AAR’s hideout. Hank kept a close eye on Max throughout the drive, pondering his motivations. Alex couldn’t help thinking how wrong Max looked in battle gear. Despite his involvement in many of the incidents that she’d dealt with recently, Max wasn’t a soldier. His instinct wasn’t to reach for the gun at his belt and shoot. That was her. She was the soldier. She watched as he tapped his fingers absently on his acid gun and it struck her that he was scared, but he’d volunteered to go anyway.

She thought back to their conversation in the lab, about how they didn’t see eye to eye. They probably never would, but that didn’t take away from what Max was doing for them right now. She watched him for a few more seconds before wrenching her eyes away. Now was not the time to have a mental argument with herself about Maxwell Lord. She had to be focused and alert, her mind on the job. Lives could be lost if she didn’t switch on. Her feelings could be dealt with later.

The van rumbled to a stop and they piled wordlessly out onto the street. It was late and night blanketed the city, the moon a silent sentinel keeping watch. The streetlights flickered, casting an eerie glow across the dilapidated shop fronts, scattering the shadows briefly. There was no one around and the only noise came from the distant grumble of traffic and the occasional car horn closer to the main thoroughfares.

‘Stay close,’ Hank whispered into his mic, creeping slowly across the road towards their destination.

The shop in question looked like it had been shut for years. The window was covered in grime, making it near impossible to see inside. Alex could just make out the word _‘antiques’_ from the faded and peeling lettering on the sign. Hank pushed at the door and was surprised when it opened. It made him uneasy; it meant that the AAR were expecting them. They filed into the building, sweeping the torches mounted on their guns around the empty space. The only thing remaining that told Alex this had once been a shop was the counter against the far wall.

‘Clear,’ Hank murmured. 

They ventured further into the darkness, back to back, with Max in the middle. Alex couldn’t see his face, but so far he hadn’t made a sound which was unusual in itself. They reached the back wall of the shop without incident. Alex was sure they were being watched.

‘Alex,’ Hank whispered to her, ‘over here.’ She shuffled over to where Hank was crouched against the wall. He was feeling along the skirting board, his fingers disturbing the layers of dust. There was an almost inaudible click as Hank’s fingers caught on a slight ridge on the wall. ‘I could feel cold air coming from somewhere,’ he explained, as he triggered the switch.

The section of floor behind the counter fell away to reveal a staircase that disappeared into darkness. They froze, straining their ears for any sound of movement, but were greeted with a deathly silence.

‘Supergirl,’ Alex murmured, ‘what can you see?’

Kara looked down and tried to use her x-ray vision to see through the floor to the basement below, but all she saw was a solid grey wall.

‘I can’t see through it,’ she stammered. ‘They must have lined it with lead.’

‘They sure know what they’re doing,’ Hank said grimly. ‘Alright. Supergirl, you stay here until we give the signal that it’s safe. Let’s go.’

‘Be careful,’ Kara said, squeezing Alex’s arm.

Hank started down the stairs, leading his team into the unknown. Max fell into step next to Alex, their shoulders brushing.

‘Is this always how you spend your Friday nights?’ Max whispered. Alex could hear the nervousness in his voice, but she didn’t answer him. Now was not the time. She touched his arm briefly instead, hoping that he would keep quiet, follow orders and stay safe.

They reached the bottom of the staircase and crept down a short hallway to the door at the end. It was slightly ajar and Hank stuck the barrel of his gun through the opening, slowly pushing his way inside. The sight that greeted them left them breathless.

The room was big, clearly spanning the length of four of the shops above, but it was its contents that shocked the team. Four huge barrels were placed randomly around the room, each one filled to the brim with glowing green Kryptonite. Numerous other wooden boxes peppered the space, but these appeared to be empty. Alex deduced that the boxes had been used to transport the AAR’s weapons supplies. 

The meteor rocks bathed the cavernous space in an emerald hue, giving it a surreal quality. Alex had never seen that much Kryptonite before. She didn’t even know where you could find that much Kryptonite. It was enough to kill Kara should she enter the basement.

‘Max, now would be a good time to show off,’ Alex whispered vaguely.

He nodded even though no one would see it and moved towards the nearest barrel, the team following and covering him from every angle. Max primed the acid gun, loading up the first batch of solution and pulled the trigger. Liquid spurted out of the barrel with a hiss, the trajectory allowing for a wide target range. Max held the gun in both hands, one hand on each stock, guiding it to ensure as much of the Kryptonite was sprayed as possible, especially since the solution would have to filter through a whole barrel. He just hoped he’d created enough.

He was just about done with the first barrel when an unseen door at the other end of the room opened and four men stormed through, armed to the teeth.

‘Thought you were smart coming after us, huh?’ The man in the lead yelled. ‘Where’s your superhero now?’ Then they opened fire.

Alex shoved Max behind the barrel and let loose with her own gun, resting it atop the rim above the rapidly fading Kryptonite. Hank and the other agents had taken cover and were firing off shots sporadically. The AAR were shielded by the beams on that side of the room so they were safe for now, but the fire fight wouldn’t stay tame for long.

Gunfire exploded all around Max as he tried to make himself as small as possible. His heart thumped painfully in his chest as he thought about what he had to do. Gripping his acid gun tightly, he threw himself out from behind his cover, sprinting to the next barrel.

‘Max!’ Alex shouted, taken by surprise. He should’ve told her he was going to make a move! She could have covered him. She unclipped a stun grenade from her belt, lobbed it across the room and darted after Max as it exploded, throwing the room into chaos. Max had already begun spraying the next lot of Kryptonite by the time she arrived at his side. ‘Tell me next time you’re going to do something stupid!’ She scolded, shouting above the noise.

‘Apparently that’s most of the time!’ He yelled back.

Hank and the two other agents were engaged in a fierce battle with the four members of the Anti-Alien Resistance. Alex’s eyes burned as the flashes of gun shots lit up the room erratically. She saw Agent Adams dive out of the way seconds before a small explosion left a crater in the spot where he had just been standing. Hank threw a grenade, forcing one of their opponents to move and share cover with his fellow gunman. Alex let out a burst of gunfire as he ran between beams, hearing a scream as a bullet tore through muscle.

‘Hank!’ Alex cried into her comms system. ‘Force them into the far corner so I can get Max to the next barrel!’

‘Copy,’ she heard Hank grunt in reply.

Alex tapped Max on the shoulder and pointed to the barrel that was nearest to them and then to the small war going on all around them. Hank and the two agents had moved to the same side of the room, forcing the AAR to change their angle of attack. Slowly but surely, they were forcing them towards the left wall.

‘Wait for my signal,’ Alex told Max firmly. She held her arm across his chest, her muscles tensed and ready to spring into action. Seconds ticked by as the AAR shuffled around the beams, letting off another incendiary grenade. They were lucky the room was so big or they all would have gone up in flames. ‘Now!’ Alex yelled once they were clear, giving Max a shove.

They crouched low and sprinted to the next barrel. Alex practically sat on Max as she rolled just in time to clear a burst of bullets. They untangled themselves with difficulty, limbs and weapons easily confused in the strobing lights of battle.

‘I’m coming in!’ Kara’s voice sounded angrily in Alex’s ear. She had almost forgotten that her sister was still waiting anxiously above them, hearing the sounds of a small war without knowing which side was winning.

‘No!’ Alex screamed. ‘There’s still too much Kryptonite!’

‘Alex-!’ Kara began, but was cut off by another explosion that sent Adams flying.

‘Not yet!’

‘Done.’ Max tugged on Alex’s elbow, letting her know he was ready to throw himself back into the line of fire once more.

The last barrel was closer to the enemy. With Adams down and only Hank and Price providing cover, it was going to be almost impossible to get there. Alex studied the angles, her adrenaline kicking in. Time seemed to slow, dampening the noise that assaulted her ears. It felt like they’d been under attack for hours, but in reality the battle had only started mere minutes ago.

‘Alex, no.’ Max could see exactly what she was thinking. She was going to run out towards Hank and Price, exposing herself and drawing their fire as a distraction, allowing Max to get to the last barrel. She would be completely unprotected.

‘It’s the only way,’ Alex snapped.

‘You said there was always another way.’

Alex stared. How on earth had this mess resulted in Maxwell Lord giving her pause in the middle of a fire fight? She looked around helplessly, searching for Hank in the smoke that was now drifting through the room. If she didn’t do something quickly, they were going to be overpowered and Kara was going to rush in and put herself in danger too. It was a miracle they’d survived this long at all.

‘Max-‘

‘Throw one of your pretty toys and then we’ll run,’ Max puffed. He was breathing heavily out of both fear and adrenaline. ‘Get Hank to draw their fire by taking cover behind the beam they just left. He’ll get there in time.’

Alex nodded slowly. It was risky. Far more risky than her original plan even if that had involved a high likelihood of her getting shot.

‘Hank, did you hear that?’

‘Yeah,’ he shouted back, ‘any other ideas?’

‘Nope!’

‘Let’s do it then!’

‘On my count.’ Alex unclipped a grenade from her belt, cocking her arm in preparation to launch it across the room. ‘One…two…three!’

She jumped up as the explosion detonated, pulling Max with her. Hank rolled between the beams, catching two of the AAR men off guard and managing to take out one of them. Alex’s feet pounded on the concrete floor and she urged herself to go faster. Barely five metres of open space separated them from cover when Max stumbled, screaming in pain. Alex didn’t miss a beat, dragging him along the floor until they were safe.

‘Max!’ She crouched next to him, heart crashing wildly.

‘The Kryptonite!’ He choked out from behind clenched teeth. His hands were clamped tightly around his thigh, dark blood spewing from the ragged hole that a bullet had torn through his leg.

Alex fumbled with the acid gun, pulling the trigger and spraying the last of the Kryptonite.

‘Supergirl! Now!’ She cried through her mic as the colour disappeared from the rocks in front of her. Alex didn’t even have time to draw a breath before Kara exploded through the doorway. She was a blur, rocketing through the air towards their assailants who scrambled in retreat when they realised their ultimate defence had been neutralised. They didn’t even get the chance to take two steps before Kara sent them flying against the wall with a hideous crunch.

Kara normally showed restraint with human criminals, but these men had put her and the ones she loved through too much. Punches flew even after they’d lost consciousness and it took Hank’s firm hand on her shoulder to make her stop.

‘Oh my god,’ she whispered as the red haze of fury cleared and she took in the damage she’d done.

‘It’s alright Supergirl,’ Hank said soothingly. ‘It’s over.’

‘Alex!’ Kara called, spinning around to look for her sister.

‘I’m fine, but Max is hurt! Hank we need to get him out of here, he’s losing too much blood!’

Their voices echoed unnaturally in the silence, their ears still ringing from the gunfire and explosions. They were safe, but the tension hadn’t broken. Hank ran to find Alex gripping Max’s blood soaked hand tightly as they tried to keep the pressure on his wound.

‘Supergirl-,’ Hank began, but Kara knew what she had to do. She lifted Max easily off of the ground and took off, shooting out of the basement and back to the DEO. Hank hauled Alex up from the floor as Price did the same to Adams who was conscious, but unsteady and nursing a few broken bones.

‘Are you alright?’ Hank asked Alex. She nodded, pulling him into a hug. ‘Get Adams back to the van. Price and I will deal with the AAR.’

Alex did as she was told, supporting the limping Adams up the stairs and out onto the street. The night air was cool on her filthy, sweaty skin and she looked up into the sky searching for the moon. It hung there as it always did, glowing brightly, one of the constants in her life that reminded her what she was fighting for. Planet Earth. Her home. Her family. Tonight, Maxwell Lord had kept her family safe by risking his own life. She held her head in her hands as the van sped back to the base, hoping desperately that he was ok.


	7. Chapter 7

Alex was exhausted by the time they arrived back at the DEO base. She’d helped Agent Adams out of the van and into the arms of the waiting medics before hauling one of the prisoners unceremoniously along the floor. Hank and Price carried the other two Anti-Alien Resistance members over their shoulders and the three DEO agents marched slowly through the base to drop their cargo into separate cells. Hank doubted that they would regain consciousness anytime soon; Supergirl had hit them pretty hard. Their interrogation would have to wait until later so he dismissed Alex and Price before heading off to prepare his debrief.

Alex went in search of Kara, finding her waiting anxiously in the command centre with Vasquez. Kara rushed over when she saw her sister, pulling her into a tight hug.

‘Are you alright?’ Kara asked as Alex fought for breath.

‘Suffocating,’ she gasped, grateful when Kara relaxed slightly, ‘but other than that I’m ok. Are you?’

‘Never make me wait like that again.’ Kara pulled away and stared sternly at Alex who could only nod. That wasn’t an argument that she could win.

‘Where’s Max?’ 

‘In the med-bay. He’s ok.’

Alex let out a sigh of relief that surprised Kara. Since when had Alex been concerned about Maxwell Lord’s wellbeing?

‘I have to go and see him.’ Alex started off in the direction of the med-bay, pausing to look back at her sister, glad that she hadn’t been hurt. ‘He risked his life for you today.’

Kara was surprised by Alex’s statement. She hadn’t thought about it like that. ‘Alex, why did you agree to let him go with you?’

Alex pondered her question for a moment, pressing her lips together. ‘He showed me the Kryptonite neutraliser yesterday so I knew it worked. I guess...I just had to trust him to keep you safe.’ She knew that was an answer that would satisfy Kara and it was based mostly on the truth. Her conversations with Max about his methods weren’t really something she felt like sharing at that moment in time.

Kara nodded silently. If it came down to trusting Max to save Alex’s life, Kara knew she would’ve done the same thing. ‘Pizza tonight?’ She called to Alex’s retreating back.

‘Most definitely.’ Alex replied.

* * * *

Max was sitting up in his makeshift hospital bed when Alex came in. He was still wearing his combat blacks, minus the bulletproof vest, but one trouser leg had been cut away leaving his whole leg exposed. A blood soaked bandage was wrapped tightly around the bullet hole above his knee. He smiled wanly as Alex came over to sit on the side of the bed.

‘They gave me five stitches,’ he said. ‘It’ll probably leave a wicked scar.’

‘Are you ok?’ Alex asked quietly.

Max shrugged. ‘I suppose it was better than getting shot in the face.’

‘Max,’ Alex huffed in exasperation. It was exhausting trying to have a conversation with him sometimes.

‘I’m fine,’ Max assured her, taking her hand. Alex tensed, but resisted pulling away. He watched her curiously as she struggled with what to say to him.

‘What you did today,’ she began slowly, ‘was really brave. We would’ve lost if…’ It was hard to get the words out. She felt awkward around Max all of a sudden, as if the defensive barriers she’d built up between them were no longer there and now she was flailing around in all the open space.

‘Don’t mention it,’ Max said, saving her from trying to articulate a thank you. Max had never been very good at heart to hearts either.

Alex looked away, conscious of him staring at her, but she couldn’t avoid his gaze forever. When she finally locked eyes with him again he sat up a little straighter, leaning closer and wincing at the movement. He reached up with his free hand and cupped her face, stroking a thumb delicately across her skin. When she didn’t flinch away, he closed the distance between them and kissed her.

Alex shut her eyes, taken aback by the soft pressure of his lips on hers. She hadn’t imagined that Max could be so… _gentle._ Seconds passed, ticking by in slow motion, as she relaxed into the kiss. All too quickly, her mind caught up with her and she forced her eyes open, pushing Max away softly. Her heart was pounding.

‘I can’t…I’m sorry,’ she said breathlessly, colour rushing to her cheeks. Max nodded without comment, looking down at their entwined hands. He hadn’t really expected to get what he wanted so easily. Alex Danvers was the only person in his whole life that he’d had to chase.

‘What about trusting me from now on?’ He asked, looking at her through his eyelashes. ‘Can you do that?’

‘I’ll try,’ she replied with a small smile which Max returned. That was good enough for him.

Alex stayed with him for a while longer, but they didn’t really talk. They were both exhausted. Max kept hold of her hand, squeezing it ever so slightly when his leg throbbed with pain. Eventually Alex knew she had to leave. Hank would have to give the official debrief to the team and then she would be needed to help interrogate the prisoners. If the AAR were planning anything else sinister, she would find out one way or another. She wasn’t afraid to break some bones today.

‘I have to go,’ she said, sliding her hand out of Max’s grip and standing up. He watched her make her way to the door, his mind reeling with unsaid feelings.

‘Alex,’ he burst out as she reached for the door handle, causing her to glance back at him. ‘Thank you.’

She smiled so sincerely at him that the image of her standing there was painted on the backs of his eyelids when he drifted off to sleep.

* * * *

Two days later, Alex found herself being summoned to Hank’s private office. _This is where it all started,_ she thought as she knocked on the door. Hank ushered her in, motioning for her to take a seat. She looked around absently, taking in the bookshelf that still meant nothing to her; the paperweight that she must remember to ask Hank about next time. It was a surreal feeling, being back in here nine days after she’d originally been furious with Hank for suggesting that she train Maxwell Lord to fight. The last week had certainly been strange.

‘Kara’s back at CatCo I presume?’ Hank’s question broke into Alex’s thoughts.

‘Yeah. They’ll still be having a field day with the reader backlash against the AAR. Cat’s branded them as “Traitors to Truth, Justice and the American Way”.’ Alex smirked.

‘We did good this week Alex. All of us.’ Hank’s raised eyebrow alerted Alex to the fact that he was talking about Max.

‘He put his life on the line for Kara. I guess pigs really can fly,’ she quipped.

Hank chuckled, tapping his chin thoughtfully. ‘You’ve spent some time with him recently,’ he continued. ‘What do you think of him? I mean, now that all of this has happened?’

Alex’s heart skipped a beat. Did Hank know that she’d kissed Max? Was he trying to get some sort of confession or apology out of her? She should’ve known to keep her feelings in check.

‘W-what do you mean?’ She asked hesitantly.

‘Do you trust him?’

‘Maybe. More than I did before at any rate.’ Her response was guarded and she searched Hank’s face for a reaction, but he only nodded and tapped his chin again.

‘I’ve had some time to think about this, but I wanted your opinion. I can’t deny that Maxwell Lord has done some important work during his stay here and, despite his past…’ Hank paused, searching for the right word and settling for an understatement instead, ‘misdemeanours, his knowledge of Kryptonite is invaluable to our operation. He mentioned something to you about a possible solution to defeating Non, didn’t he?’ Alex nodded, completely unsure of where Hank was going with this. ‘He might just be the advantage that tips the scales for us in this war.’

‘Hank,’ Alex began warily, ‘what are you saying?’

‘I want to know what you think of what I’m about to suggest. If Max continues to assist us with developing a weapon for use against Non, we induct him as an official DEO agent.’

Alex’s mouth dropped open. She had certainly not been expecting this.

‘I know, I know,’ Hank said hurriedly, ‘it sounds crazy, but if we can keep him under our banner he wouldn’t pose as much of a threat. Think about it. He’ll always be under some sort of surveillance and we can track any movements he makes online.’

‘I think it’s a good idea,’ Alex heard herself say, slightly shocked at her own immediate acceptance.

Hank started. ‘Y-you do?’ He hadn’t been expecting Alex to agree so readily, if at all.

‘He’s…not the Max that we imprisoned a couple of months ago. I think he’s a little bit more open to working with Supergirl now, as long as he still gets to show off occasionally.’

‘So you’re definitely on board with this? We’re going to make a proposal to Maxwell Lord, offering him a job as a DEO agent?’

Alex sucked in a deep breath and nodded. ‘Yes. As long as I get to rough him up in combat training every so often. Once he’s healed of course.’

They shared a knowing smirk. 

‘Of course.’


	8. Epilogue

Alex hit the punching bag with a ferocity that would’ve scared grown men. Her teeth were clenched and her face shone with sweat. Her knuckles hurt where she’d decided not to bother with boxing gloves, but she ignored the pain. She kept throwing her punches, sending the bag swinging around crazily on its chain. 

It had been nearly three weeks since the battle against the Anti-Alien Resistance cell. Maxwell Lord had been inducted into the DEO, much to the chagrin of many of the agents, including Supergirl. Alex had tried to move on from all the complications that had arisen in that week, but her thoughts still kept her up at night. 

She hadn’t really had a chance to process everything that had happened, least of all her strange new relationship with Max, and it had built up inside of her like a ticking time bomb. She’d been avoiding Max for days and she even found it hard to talk to Kara about it because her sister was still opposed to the idea of calling Maxwell Lord a colleague, let alone a friend. 

So much had happened between the two of them, from taking her anger out on him in combat training to him kissing her after he’d helped render a whole basement full of Kryptonite redundant. It was like they were completely different people. She was reluctant to pursue the relationship because of their history, but Max had made it pretty clear what he felt about her and that left her feeling like she was being pulled in three directions at once.

Boxing had helped. This morning she’d woken up feeling like she was drowning in her confusion, completely overwhelmed by the indecision that Max had created in her life. She was finally being given the chance to get it all out and she wasn’t going to let up. Her fists thudded into the bag at a frenetic pace. _Right hook, left hook, right jab, right jab, left hook._ Her adrenaline was sky high and she didn’t think that she’d ever be able to stop.

A drop of sweat trickled down the side of her face as she heard footsteps approaching the gym. _Go away,_ she thought angrily without slowing her attack.

‘Alex?’ Max’s voice sounded from the doorway.

‘What?’ She growled.

‘Hank wants to talk to you,’ Max replied warily, knowing full well the damage she could do when she was angry.

‘He can wait.’

Max turned to go, but then paused, watching Alex with curiosity. He was surprised the punching bag was still attached to the chain.

‘Are you ok?’ He asked tentatively.

‘Fine,’ she spat back.

Max thought he heard her voice crack, but he didn’t want to push her. She’d more than likely come after him and that wouldn’t help anyone. He stayed just inside the doorway and kept quiet, figuring that she wasn’t that interested in him right now and would probably forget he was even there.

Alex’s breathing started to get a bit ragged. Max had broken her rhythm and now she felt herself coming down from the adrenaline rush. The pain in her hands was beginning to register and her punches were slowing. She felt a tear escape from her eye and slide down her cheek. The bag swung back and forth erratically as she threw one last explosive punch before collapsing to her knees with a sob. Her body heaved as tears streamed down her face and she lost control. The feelings that she’d bottled up over the last few weeks roared through her heart like a mindless wave. She felt like her chest had caved in.

‘Alex!’ Max appeared suddenly beside her, his voice heavy with worry. He had rushed in the moment she had fallen to her knees, concerned for her well being. When he realised that she was crying, he knew that she was most definitely not alright. He draped an arm over her shoulder and went to clasp her hands, but stopped when he saw the mess that they were in. ‘Jesus,’ he hissed. 

Alex was holding her hands awkwardly in her lap. They were covered in blood, the knuckles rubbed raw. White bone glinted underneath a loose flap of skin on her right hand. Her fingers were curled loosely into her palms as if she was still preparing to throw another punch. She’d been boxing bare knuckled for nearly an hour. 

‘Jesus Christ,’ Max whispered again, pulling Alex’s head to his chest.

Alex didn’t resist his comfort. She was beyond caring if anyone saw them. Her sobs racked her body, her tears dampening Max’s shirt. She was vaguely aware of his fingers on her trembling wrists, a soft sensation in comparison to the pain.

‘Come on,’ Max said firmly, ‘I’m taking you to the med-bay. Your hands are…’ he trailed off, horrified that Alex had been able to ignore that much pain.

‘No,’ Alex mumbled, struggling to get the words out. ‘Hank can’t…can’t see me…like this.’

Max stroked her hair with a sigh. She was curled into a tight ball against his chest.

‘I’ll tell him I found you passed out in here,’ Max murmured. 

After a moment of consideration, Alex nodded. She fought to get her sobbing under control as Max wiped her tears away. Slipping one arm under her knees and tightening the other around her shoulders, Max lifted Alex from the ground and stood up. He was thankful that his leg had healed so well or this might have been a bit more difficult. Alex winced as the movement jostled her hands, but made no sound. Her eyes closed as she rested her head on Max’s shoulder, pretending to be unconscious like he had suggested.

Max hurried out of the gym, carrying Alex towards the med-bay. Hank looked up as he came into the command centre, Alex’s limp body in his arms.

‘Alex,’ Hank whispered to himself, darting over to them immediately. ‘What happened?’ He demanded.

‘I don’t know,’ Max lied. ‘I found her on the floor in the gym. Her hands…’ 

Hank glanced down at Alex’s hands and drew in a sharp breath. 

‘Get her to the med-bay,’ he ordered, eliciting a nod from Max. They hurried across the room and Hank held open the door for Max. He lay Alex gently down onto the surgical table and jumped into action before Hank could call one of the medics.

Alex kept her eyes closed and her breathing as even as she could as she felt Max wash the wounds on her hands. Her muscles tightened as he cleaned each knuckle as gently as he could. He stitched up three of them and stuck pads on the others. She groaned involuntarily as he began wrapping a bandage around one hand, giving up the pretence of unconsciousness.

She opened her eyes and stared blearily at the ceiling, attempting to look disoriented when Hank rushed to her side.

‘Alex, can you hear me?’ He asked. She nodded in response, not trusting herself to speak. ‘Stay still,’ Hank continued, ‘everything’s going to be alright.’

Max finished treating Alex and rested a hand on her shoulder. He knew she would be dreading having to answer all of Hank’s questions, especially since he’d want to get to the bottom of what was wrong with her. He’d had to hide his own feelings for Alex over the last few weeks which hadn’t been easy.

‘What’s the last thing you remember Alex?’ Hank asked softly.

‘I’m ok Hank,’ she replied, her voice quiet and shaky. ‘I just overdid it. I just need some rest.’ She gave him a small smile, trying to reassure him.

‘Alex, your hands are shredded. That’s more than just overdoing it.’ Hank wasn’t convinced. Things had been stressful lately. He was worried about her and wanted to do everything he could to make sure that she was ok.

‘I got carried away. I just need some rest,’ she repeated.

Hank pursed his lips, eyeing her seriously. He was reluctant to leave her, but she clearly wasn’t going to tell him what was wrong at this point in time. Eventually he nodded and backed away.

‘Ok,’ he sighed, ‘but you call me if you need anything. Anything at all. I mean it.’ He pointed a finger at her to make sure she understood. ‘Max, let her rest.’

‘Actually I’ve just got to give her one last thing,’ Max said quickly. ‘Just to make sure her sugar levels are ok and she’s not dehydrated.’

Hank raised a suspicious eyebrow, but didn’t pursue it. Max watched Hank nervously as he left the room, shutting the door behind him.

Alex let out a sigh. ‘Thank you,’ she said to Max who smiled sadly.

‘What the hell were you doing?’ He asked, brushing a strand of hair away from her cheek.

She averted her eyes and bit her lip. ‘Getting some stuff out,’ she said eventually.

‘Would that stuff have anything to do with me?’

‘Not everything is about you Max.’ He laughed at that, grinning down at her as she continued. ‘Ok, maybe it had a little bit to do with you.’

‘I knew it.’ He ran his fingers slowly through her hair. ‘Just tell me. Or hit me. Whichever works best for you.’

There was a time when talking about her feelings to Maxwell Lord would have repulsed Alex. There was a time when showing any sort of weakness in front of him would’ve been unacceptable. That seemed like a long time ago now. She couldn’t deny how utterly relieved she’d been when Max had cradled her to his chest after she’d collapsed. She couldn’t push him away any longer even if it made life difficult for her at the DEO. Surely she deserved to be loved by someone, even if that someone was Maxwell Lord.

‘I’m sorry I pushed you away,’ she whispered. ‘I don’t really know…how to do this.’

‘I get it,’ Max shrugged. ‘Overprotective, super powered alien sister who would most definitely not approve. Cranky boss who would skin me alive if he caught me so much as looking at you the wrong way. Slightly complicated. Geez, I feel like I’m back in high school.’

Alex laughed. He made it all sound so trivial.

‘Come on Agent Danvers. You’d run headfirst into a room full of aliens and beat them all up with your bare hands. Surely I’m a walk in the park?’

‘You’d be surprised.’

‘I’ll take that as a compliment.’ Max leaned down and kissed her gently on her forehead. ‘I know normal isn’t something that occurs around here a lot, but how about pizza and a movie at my place once you feel better?’

‘I’d like that,’ Alex nodded gratefully.

‘Deal.’ He wandered over to the door, pausing to look back with his hand on the knob. ‘You’ll have to fight me if you want to pick the movie though.’

Max winked at Alex and left her to rest, smiles plastered across both their faces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to spread out the release of the last two chapters over a few days, but I wrote them so quickly I thought I may as well just post them. This is the end of my Partners series so for those that have been following along, thank you! I've really, really loved writing this so any feedback you would like to leave would be much appreciated as I want to keep writing better stories! I hope you, dear reader, enjoyed this as much as I did when it was running around in my head.


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